The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (ASU Law) is the law school at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. The school is located in the Beus Center for Law and Society on ASU's downtown Phoenix campus. Created in 1965 as the Arizona State University College of Law upon recommendation of the Arizona Board of Regents, with the first classes held in the fall of 1967. The school has held American Bar Association accreditation since 1969 and is a member of the Order of the Coif. The school is also a member of the Association of American Law Schools. In 2006, the law school was renamed in honor of Phoenix resident, Stanford graduate, and retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

History

The school was previously located in Armstrong Hall, adjacent to the Ross-Blakley Law Library on ASU's Tempe campus. In 2012, the school announced plans to relocate to Arizona State University Downtown Phoenix campus. The first classes held in the new building, the Beus Center for Law and Society, were in the fall semester of 2016. The new law building cost $129 million, paid for with construction bonds, private donations and the city of Phoenix, which provided land and $12 million. The building is named for Phoenix attorney Leo Beus, who donated $10 million to the law school in 2014. Apart from the law school, the Beus Center also houses the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, The McCain Institute for International Leadership, the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute, Arizona Voice for Crime Victims, the Arizona Justice Project, and the ASU Alumni Law Group. Best Choice Schools ranked the Beus Center the 6th most impressive law school building in the world.

Employment

According to ASU's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, nine months after graduation 68.6% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment (i.e. as attorneys), and 26% obtained JD-advantage employment. As a regional school, the vast majority of ASU graduates find employment in Arizona after graduation. Of the 204 graduates in 2013, 172 were employed in Arizona, with five in California and four in Texas. Additionally, ASU has an underemployment score of 12.7% as calculated by Law School Transparency and 8.8% of graduates are employed in school-funded positions. According to ASU's official 2017 ABA-required disclosures, nine months after graduation 74.24% of the Class of 2017 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment (i.e. as attorneys), and 14.65% obtained JD-advantage employment. According to ASU's official 2020 ABA-required disclosures, nine months after graduation 76.77% of the Class of 2020 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment (i.e. as attorneys), and 10.63% obtained JD-advantage employment. The class of 2020 had 175 students obtain jobs in Arizona within nine months of graduation. The remaining 22% of the class who obtained jobs within nine months of graduation did so outside of Arizona, including 16 jobs in California, 6 in Washington D.C., and 5 jobs in foreign countries.

Costs

For the 2020–21 academic year, the yearly tuition for residents is $28,058, and the tuition for non-residents is $47,302.

Clinical programs

The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law has 13 clinics, which offer students opportunities to practice law in a variety of settings with people who have real legal problems. Under the supervision of faculty members who are experts in their subject matter, students manage real cases and represent clients in hearings and trials before courts and administrative agencies, assist in the commercialization and monetization of new technologies, and mediate cases pending in the judicial system.

Centers and other academic programs

Notable lecturers and professors

Law journals

Notable alumni